Brandon Weeden’s right thumb, cleared for action by team doctors, might come in handy for hitching a ride out of town at the end of the season.
The announcement came as no surprise, but Coach Rob Chudzinski made it official at his press conference Monday morning; Brian Hoyer will start at quarterback against the Bills Thursday night in FirstEnergy Stadium.
Hoyer is 2-0 as a starter. Weeden was 0-2 before spraining his thumb by banging it on the helmet of right guard John Greco during his follow-through in Baltimore on Sept. 15.
Thus, it would seem, the radio helmet has been passed from the 2012 first-round draft choice to the quarterback that was with three teams Patriots, Steelers and Cardinals in 2012 before signing with the Browns as a free agent in May.
“I think the first thing is that he’s doing his job,” Chudzinski said. “That’s where all of that starts. That’s where you get the credibility to be able to (lead).
“He’s a fiery guy. I think that our whole team was that way about that game yesterday. The fans were awesome; it was loud. Guys were really excited about that and playing in front of them. I think Brian typified that.”
The ultimate challenge for a quarterback that hasn’t been successful is convincing players to follow him. No one in the huddle questions Peyton Manning when he says, “Do this,” but when Colt McCoy or Weeden says, “Do this” a common response would be, “Why should I? What have you done?” even if the player is only thinking it.
McCoy was 6-15 as a starter in three years with the Browns. Weeden is 5-12 in two seasons.
Hoyer proved himself in Minnesota by leading a a late game-winning drive after throwing two interceptions in the third quarter. He milked 6:37 off the clock on a 91-yard drive in the fourth quarter Sunday and capped it off with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Chris Ogbonnaya with 4:54 to play.
“It starts with their approach,” Chudzinski said. “I always believe that quarterbacks have to be the first guy in the building and the last guy out, and their teammates see that. Set the example, and lead by example. Then it ultimately comes down to production and winning games.”
Weeden threw a football Friday for the first time since being injured 12 days earlier. Chudzinski said he isn’t certain whether Weeden will be labeled as Hoyer’s backup Thursday only because the short practice week doesn’t give Weeden much time to get back in the groove.
“I’m going to continue to prepare like I’m a starter,” Weeden said after practice Monday. “I’m going to come in early, watch the same amount of tape just in case my number’s called.
“I’m the ultimate team guy. Brian is playing well. The offense is playing well. The defense is outstanding. I’m happy for this football team.
“I’d be lying if I said it was the ideal situation. I want to be out there, but it’s life. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. I’m still treating it like this is my football team. I’m still involved in the offense. I’m not discouraged.”
As he has since announcing on the Wednesday before the Minnesota game that Hoyer would start against the Vikings, Chudzinski is not committing to any quarterback beyond Thursday. The bigger decision will be who to start against the Lions on Oct. 13 when Weeden will have had plenty of time to work back into form.
“I think it’s week to week,” Chudzinski said. “I think where we’re at, in terms of that, I’m comfortable with it. We’re focused on the week. We’re focused on the day. I’m a coach. You know that coaches tend to think that way anyhow, on a day-to-day basis. So it’s not adversely affecting our guys in any way. So we’ll continue to go in that direction.”
Hoyer completed 10 passes to Josh Gordon for 146 yards in Minnesota. Gordon was targeted 19 times. Gordon was targeted nine times against the Bengals and caught four passes for 71 yards.
Tight end Jordan Cameron got the work Sunday — 12 targets and 10 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Hoyer completed passes to seven players Sunday and six in Minnesota.
“He’s stepping up huge,” Cameron said after the game Sunday. “He’s taking advantage of the opportunities in front of him. It’s good to see that, especially because he’s from this area. He talked about it being a big dream to play in front of these fans and get a win against another Ohio team. It’s a big day for him and I’m really happy for him.”
No Browns quarterback has started all 16 games in a season since Tim Couch in 2001.